Spiritual Crisis Research Articles

Modern Malaises: A study of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land

This paper seeks to examine modern malaises like the emptiness of mind, sexual perversion, alienation and fragmentation, spiritual barrenness, estrangement, disillusionment, and industrialization in the light of T. S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’. The poem explores how people have become uprooted and hopeless in their life routines. The poem was written in 1922 but reveals the real picture of the near future. In today’s world emotional and spiritual crises are the basic problems. Modern people do not have love, trust, hope, and morality. They are self-centered entrapped by the greed of money and power. T. S. Eliot suggests nourishing the dry roots of modern wasteland and regenerating a new and different world. An honest effort has been made to depict the real picture of today’s society, to deconstruct the polluted discourse of the modern world, and to look for the remedy of love, trust, hope and good deeds suggested by T. S. Eliot in his greatest poem, ‘The Waste Land’.

LEXICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE EMOTIONS OF SWEDISH QUEEN CHRISTINA BY NINA BLAZON

In this paper we threw light upon the concept of emotional phenomena, clarified the definition of “emotions”, reconstructed the emotional sphere and emotional experience of Swedish Queen Christina, outlined the corpus of lexical units of the Queen’s emotions through the prism of the morphological criterion and systematized thematically. The relationship between the development of the Queen’s emotions, wartime, spiritual crisis in the family circle and court behav- ior is traced. Emphasis is placed on the dominance of emotional patterns in the semantic structure of emotional experience, natural and artificial expressions of emotions by the Queen are identified. The most relevant emotional patterns include sadness — joy, joy — cunning, fear — hope, hope — faith, anger — disappointment — calm. It is established that the emotional experience of the “elite” layer affects the negation of the Queen’s individual emotions (pride, ad- miration), their identification, form and content. The expression of the Queen’s emotions is also connected with the internal and external politics of Sweden in the 17th century, the rules and norms of royal etiquette, which led to the elevation of Queen Christina to the status of a goddess. The juxtaposition of natural phe- nomena and emotions affected the hierarchy, signs of modality, gradation, se- mantics, negation, linguistics of emotions. The presence of a value system in the strata of the Swedish population allows predicting and simulating the influence of emotions on the behavior of the queen and, conversely, on the behavior of sub- ordinates. The differentiation of emotional phenomena contributed to the birth of lexical and grammatical names. Two main partial language categories are distinguished: full and incomplete. The full-meaning part-speech category in- cludes: verb, noun, adjective, adverb, pronoun, the incomplete part-speech cat- egory includes emotional exclamations and emotional particles. The adjective often undergoes functional reorientation and functions as an adverb in speech.

Self-Hisbah Among Married Women Towards The Early Symptoms Of Depression

Abstract Self-hisbah is based on al-amr bi al-maaruf wa al-nahy an al-munkar, which is the ability to expand one’s potential to evaluate oneself by emphasizing the emotion and changes in behavior that creates awareness of good virtues and live following the essence of Sharia. The process of self-hisbah is relevant to the empowerment of oneself especially for women with early symptoms of depression while they are struggling to reach happiness and reverence to God. To prevent early symptoms of depression from getting worse, self-hisbah among married women should be emphasized to shape self-empowerment. Self-hisbah of married women are observed through six constructs which is called muhasabat al-nafs. It is to emotionally support married women while dealing with conflicts in their marriage based on Islamic insights and strong inner spirits following the fitra and needs in Islam. The six constructs are known as musyaratah (agreement of the heart), muraqabah (behavioral observation), muhasabah (practicing self-reflection), muaqabah (spiritual supplementary), mujahadah (spiritual struggle) and muatabah (affirmation of the soul). Results of the qualitative case studies showed self-hisbah plays a vital role in helping married women with early symptoms of depression. It also becomes an agent in handling wider social issues and spiritual struggles. Hence, self-hisbah can be considered a tool in preventing conflicts in marriage.

Culture category in the novel “The Homeless” by Stefan Jeromsky

This article is devoted to analysis to the concept of culture in the roman of Stefan Żeromski “Homeless People” (“Ludzie bezdomni”). The paper notes that at the end of the XIX century, the understanding of culture in the context of the class division of society was established in the social environment, which ultimately led to the formalization of moral norms and a spiritual crisis.

"God was with me": A qualitative study of Christian meaning-making among refugees.

In this consensual qualitative research study, we investigated the role of refugees' Christian faith in meaning-making coping. High percentages of religiosity in refugee populations support the need to understand the role of religion in their coping processes. Interviews with 20 Christian refugees from 10 African and Asian countries revealed that participants drew heavily from their faith resources to cope with their experiences. Specifically, refugees reported coping practices that included trust in God, prayer, intimacy with God, spiritual surrender, lament, worship, and social support. Although many participants described spiritual struggles, including doubting God, feeling distant from God, and questioning God, most found meaning amid refugee-related suffering and reported perspective shifts, a deepening of faith, seeing suffering as part of God's plan, experiencing a deepened sense of purpose, and growing in the likeness of Christ. Refugees also reported growth through suffering in the form of gratitude, altruism, testimony, and humility. Clinical implications include encouraging the use of religious resources for meaning-making and supporting the resolution of spiritual struggles.

The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between religious struggles and health behaviours in a group of polish young adults

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to examine more thoroughly the relationship between religious struggles and health behaviours. In this study were examined the role of resilience as a potential mediator in the relationship between these variables of interest and it was focused on the polish young adult generation. Participants were 616 people aged 18–33 years (M = 25.33; SD = 7.27). The respondents indicated their gender and age, and then completed The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (RSSS), The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI). In all models, resilience was evaluated as a potential mediator between types of religious struggle and health behaviour. The mediation analysis showed that including resilience as part of the overall model weakened the negative association between the dimensions of religious struggle – divine, ultimate meaning, and doubt ¬– and health behaviour. The presented negative impact of religious struggles on health behaviour points to the need to build or strengthen resilience among individuals, with resilience as a potential buffer to both reduce the negative effect of R/S struggles and strengthen pro-health behaviour.

Патриотизм как фактор сохранения национальной идентичности

Modern Russian society is experiencing a severe spiritual and moral crisis, during which value attitudes are being destroyed through the denial of traditional Russian values and the introduction of new value paradigms. Spiritual and moral crisis is a result of the crisis state of today’s Russian society, which is caused by many rea-sons: it is the instability of the economic component, and the constantly emerging political cataclysms in the world arena, and large-scale environmental problems, as well as the gaining momentum in the process of de-struction of social ties, and, as a consequence, the apparent destruction of moral foundations. The problem of preserving national identity is outlined at all levels, but its solution is possible only through the formation and strengthening of patriotism as the foundation of Russia’s future. That is precisely why the formation of patriot-ism becomes a priority of the Russian Federation’s state policy and is seen as a factor in preserving national identity.

Peningkatan Kualitas Pendidikan Islam melalui Aspek Spiritual: Tinjauan Terhadap Praktek Pendidikan Spiritual

Education in today's generation faces serious problems related to spiritual crises and character traits that are very worrying. Spiritual and religious values are increasingly mired in Indonesian society in the search for moral values and wisdom, and this happens in everyday social life. Many Indonesians seem to face an empty personality, where values, vision, and heart are almost lost. Even more worrisome is that this condition is already affecting children. Therefore is very important to strengthen the quality of education through the spiritual aspect. This research is qualitative research aimed at determining the practice of spiritual strengthening of children to improve the quality of education at MDA Hidayatul Ummah North Bengkulu. The results showed that the method used in shaping and strengthening the spiritual aspects of students at MDA Hidayatul Ummah is the implementation and practice of shalawat wahidiyah and its teachings through mujahadah wahidiyah. By following the mujahadah wahidiyah with istiqamah and according to the guidance that has been set, students can cultivate spiritual values in their hearts to become individuals with strong beliefs, noble character, and the ability to think healthy and correct.

The Relevance of Amali Sufism and Philosophical Sufism in Modern Times

In modern times there has been a humanistic decadence because humans have lost direct knowledge about the authenticity of themselves and due to the ego that humans have. This creates a spiritual crisis that grips the human mind and leads to various problems. The religion of Islam has all the things that are necessary for spiritual realisation and human inner peace. Sufism, which is the contemplative way of Islam, is a means to achieve that goal. This article will discuss what are the shortcomings of modernity that need to be filled by sufism and how is the relevance of sufism, especially in its two forms, namely practical and philosophical sufism, in modern times. The purpose of this article is to find out how far practical sufism and philosophical sufism can play a role in filling the void of modernity. By using a literature study, it was concluded that sufism plays roles in overcoming the negative impacts caused by a lack of contemplative attitudes in economic, political,and social life, as well as interactions with the natural environment. Both practical and philosophical sufism are relevant to modern times. Practical sufism has a role to improve morality, while philosophical sufism has a role to enrich intellectual treasures in modern times.

Religious and spiritual struggles around the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections.

Religious and spiritual struggles around the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections.

The RSS-14: Development and preliminary validation of a 14-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale.

The RSS-14: Development and preliminary validation of a 14-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale.

Factionalism and schisms: Analyzing network structure and characteristics of online opinion leaders in an international religious crisis

AbstractThis study addresses gaps in the crisis communication literature by examining the role and influence of online opinion leaders in an overlooked type of crisis—organizational factionalism and schisms. This study examined network attributes and characteristics of online opinion leaders during an international religious crisis by conducting a social network analysis of 27,710 posts on Twitter concerning the impending schism within the United Methodist Church. By bridging research on religious crises, organizational factions and schisms, and online opinion leadership in the public relations literature, our results advance theorizing in crisis communication, particularly for Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). Results reveal online opinion leaders are influential entities and sources of information regarding the crisis, and are not homogeneous in their opinions, thus reflecting the ideological diversity present within factionalism crises. This study confirms and advances previous research by arguing that traditional methods of categorizing crises according to SCCT should not be solely relied on for factionalism and organizational schisms.

Artistic interpretation of real traumatic events in Maria Ogneva’s play “Following the White Rabbit”

The article considers the documentary and fictional components of M. Ogneva’s play “Following the White Rabbit”, which raises the theme of the trauma experienced in the past. The play is based on real events related to the violent death of two teenage girls. In this play, the tragic event is taken out of the storyline and the attention is focused on the understanding of the tragedy by a female friend and the mothers of the girls. The article studies the techniques used by the author to create the fictional world of the play: allegory, allusion, a combination of real and fantasy elements, division and montage, work with documentary materials of a judicial practice, the “verbatim” technique, different types of discourse and different “points of view” to describe one and the same event. As a result of the analysis, we conclude that the strategy used by the author is comparable to a fairy tale therapy (the method of psycho-correctional work): the therapeutic effect is achieved by pronouncing the traumatic experience in the presence of the audience, by the characters’ searches for various options for getting out of the spiritual crisis, by launching the process of continuous moral and ethical self-identification at the viewer’s level, i.e. by correlating the characters’ experience with their own destiny.

The Mechanism Underlying the Relationship Between Positive References to God and Sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous in Poland

Spiritual struggles are common for religion-affiliated and non-affiliated individuals, religious skeptics, agnostics, and atheists. They gain particular importance for people under significant stress, such as those who are alcohol dependent. This study examined the role of positive religious coping and God’s support in the spiritual growth and recovery of alcohol-dependent individuals participating in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The study was cross-sectional. The participants were 115 alcohol-dependent individuals from Poland who were members of AA. A path analysis statistical method was used. The research emphasized the beneficial role of strong God’s support in the relationship between positive religious coping and spiritual growth, abstinence, and happiness. The mechanism underlying the relationship between positive religious coping, God’s support, spiritual growth, and recovery was confirmed. God’s support was a moderator in the relationship between positive religious coping and spiritual growth. In a group with stronger God’s support, positive religious coping was positively related to spiritual growth, which in turn was associated with a happy and alcohol-abstinent life for alcohol-dependent individuals participating in AA. Among individuals with weak God’s support, positive religious coping was not directly related to spiritual growth, nor was it indirectly related to recovery through spiritual growth. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

Religious Commitment and Intent to Die by Suicide during the Pandemic

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10–34-year-olds in the U.S. It is vital to identify protective factors that promote resilience in a suicide crisis. Background: This study explored the contributions of religious commitment (RC) and religious service attendance to decreased suicide intent in 18–34-year-olds. Possible moderators were investigated, including church-based social support, pandemic-related faith struggles (PRFS), and moral objections to suicide. Methods: Participants completed an online survey reporting on RC, suicide intent, church-based social support, religious service attendance, PRFS, and moral objections to suicide. Results: In the convenience sample of 451 18–34-year-olds (M = 24.97; 47.23% female), religious participants reported significantly less suicide intent than non-religious participants. RC and moral objections to suicide were more strongly negatively correlated with suicide intent than religious service attendance, but religious service attendance was associated with lower suicide intent in a regression model. Almost four times more religious young adult participants reported PRFS than not, and PRFS was found to moderate the benefits of social support received in their faith communities. Conclusions: It is suggested that professional caregivers use religious service attendance as a straightforward way to assess a possible protective factor for suicidal religious young adults. Professional caregivers may also assess for moral objections to suicide, which may provide simple decision rules in a suicide crisis. The large number of religious young adults reporting PRFS in this study suggests the need for professional caregivers to assess for spiritual struggles, which may confer suicide risk. Because of the interplay of spiritual risks and protections, mental health providers who are unsure of how to address these in therapy may need to collaborate with and make referrals to faith leaders to increase protections and reduce risks in suicidal religious young adults.

An Analysis of Aesthetic Modernity in Yeats’ Poems

When modern society marches toward post-modern society, people are still experiencing the same alienation and spiritual impoverishment as in Yeats’ times. It’s known that both modernity and aesthetic tradition are embodied in Yeats’ poems. Previous studies, however, have tried to interpret each individually, usually combining theories convenient to their purposes, but seldom intend to include both when studying Yeats’ poetry. Through an intensive reading of Yeats’ poems, this thesis tries to analyze how Yeats exhibits his aesthetic modernity in the tension between his nationalism and aesthetic pursuits. With the help of pertaining theories on aesthetic modernity, it can be found that in Yeats’ reflection and criticism of modern society, his efforts to establish the aesthetic space with the help of traditional Irish images, and his persistent pursuits for a spiritual homeland in eternal art, his aesthetic modernity is manifested and his concept of spiritual salvation for a nation is clarified. The analysis of Yeats’ poems from the perspective of aesthetic modernity is therefore significant not only to the reinterpretation of Yeats’ poetry but also to individuals or even nations who are still stuck in spiritual crisis.

Effects of religious and spiritual struggles on psychotherapy process and outcome.

Effects of religious and spiritual struggles on psychotherapy process and outcome.

К ВОПРОСУ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ФИЛОСОФСКИХ ОСНОВАНИЙ ДУХОВНОГО ПЕРЕФОРМАТИРОВАНИЯ ОБЩЕСТВА И ЛИЧНОСТИ

Актуальность данного исследования состоит в том, что в настоящее время, время масштабных изменений, происходящих, как в пространстве научного познания, так и в геополитическом пространстве, имеет место быть формирование новой картины мира, новой онтологии, с одной стороны, и актуализация проблем всех типов идентичности (от национально-государственной и до уровня индивида, личности, человеческой идентичности, в конечном итоге), с другой стороны. Авторы считают, что эти два процесса взаимосвязаны через новые подходы к пониманию духовности, основанному на новом понимании принципа целостности, всеобщих связях. Поскольку в основе всех типов кризисов, по мнению авторов, а также многих исследователей, лежит духовный кризис, то и духовное переформатирование общества является главной целью построения перспективных моделей будущего. По мнению авторов, «точкой отсчета» в духовной модернизации общества должна стать, в первую очередь, личность как духовно-телесная целостность, реализующая себя, утверждающая себя через феномен интерсубъективности в пространстве культуры. Цель и новизна данного исследования заключается в том, что подобная философская экспликация понятия «личность» как точки отсчета духовной трансформации общества не должна осуществляться на основе постмодернистского индивидуалистического либертализма в противовес новой формирующейся онтологии с ее новым подходом к феномену духовности как практической необходимости, основанному на новом понимании принципа целостности, значении всеобщих связей и единого происхождения объекта и окружающего мира.

Resenha do livro “Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man” de Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Resenha do livro: "Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man" é uma obra de Seyyed H. Nasr que examina a crise espiritual enfrentada pelo ser humano moderno em relação à natureza. Nasr aborda a crescente desconexão entre o homem e a natureza devido à visão mecanicista predominante na sociedade moderna. O livro propõe uma visão alternativa que busca restaurar a harmonia entre o homem e a natureza. Com sua abordagem interdisciplinar, o livro desafia as concepções convencionais e convida os leitores a refletir sobre a crise espiritual contemporânea e a buscar uma reconciliação significativa com o mundo natural. É uma leitura indispensável para quem se interessa por filosofia, ciência e meio ambiente.

Use of religious and spiritual responses after trauma to prevent posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidality: The role of meaning in life.

The present study examined the relationship between religious/spiritual (R/S) responses to trauma, meaning in life, and psychopathology among US veterans (n = 729). Participants (66.7% male and 83.2% White) completed study questionnaires assessing positive religious coping, divine spiritual struggle, meaning in life, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and suicidality severity. Assessments were conducted via telephone interviews at baseline (T1), 3 months (T2) and 6 months (T3). Divine spiritual struggle was associated with lower meaning in life, higher suicidality and higher PTSS at all time points. Positive religious coping was associated with higher meaning in life at all time points and lower suicidality at T2. Meaning in life fully mediated relationships between divine spiritual struggle and both PTSS and suicidality. While higher levels of T1 positive religious coping predicted increased T3 PTSS when controlling for T1 PTSS, meaning in life partially mediated this relationship, with a negative indirect effect. Meaning in life also fully mediated the relationship between positive religious coping and later suicidality, with a negative indirect effect. These findings suggest that divine spiritual struggle consistently predicts both higher PTSS and suicidality. Further, a sense of meaning plays a large role in linking R/S responses to trauma and psychological outcomes. It holds promise as a means through which positive religious coping may exert beneficial effects. Clinicians should be particularly mindful of negative R/S responses after trauma as a risk factor for adverse psychological outcomes. Future research should examine whether meaning-based interventions are beneficial after trauma.